Just thought I would share how my first foray into the wild( and sometimes funny ) world of OP carpet cleaning went.
I had booked three jobs, a small 2 bedroom apt. , a large log home in the country and a 3 bedroom bungalow.
When I showed up at the apartment, it had what looked like a really ratty indoor/outdoor type carpet. It looked awful. After presenting the estimate and getting the go ahead, I went to get my gear, no vacuum in the van. Had to use the customers. It sucked, and not in a good way. Got most of it sprayed down, put down a pad and got the challenger on it, lowered the handle and...no juice. Didn't plug it in. Oops. The young couple who lived there were watching my every move too. Finally got it going. No glider. By this time I was sweating bullets. At last I got it going and before I knew it I was done. The customers were amazed at what I got out ( so was I) and were so happy with the job I got a tip!
On my second job I tripled checked my gear ( vacuum, check ) before heading out to the log house. It was a huge place with one carpet. Actually, it was a very large area rug, in a room with an enormous fireplace. It hardly looked soiled, just a few spots here and there. Or so I thought. Things started out really smooth. Until I got near the fireplace. The pads were turning black almost as soon as I put them down. Man it took a long time to get it clean, but when I was done the owners stood there with their eyes wide and their jaws agape. They were astonished at how good it looked and how much dirt came out of it.
On the last one, guess what, no vacuum. Ugh! Used the customer's again. It was a fully carpeted basement, a flight of stairs and a small office. The carpet was plush and pink, and it had stains. lots. It also had shelving units all the way around the whole room, crammed full, two ancient sofas that weighed a ton and it all had to be moved. It took me 3.5 hrs. and I was less than happy with the results on the stains and with the stairs. I told the customer I would discount him 25% of the bill because I wasn't satisfied. He said I was crazy, he and his wife didn't care about a few stains ( rust ) and that I had done a great job. Go figure, eh? I have already gotten a referral from this customer.
Although I was nervous for all three jobs, in the end I really enjoyed doing the work.
Overall, sounds like a very encouraging start. Bear in mind that not all spots are removeable. For rust, if you don't have any of Vacaway's "Rust Assasin" you should get some.
Thanks Mark. I plan on beefing up my stain removal arsenal soon. With the stairs I didn't get enough dirt vacuumed up before spraying. I went out the next day and got a Eureka Easy-Clean with the roller brush and the visor that flips, makes cleaning the risers a breeze.
